What Girls Like
by Armageddon Angel
Summary: Naruto must return a gift to Hinata for White Day or suffer the consequences. A sequel to On Being Brave Naruto/Hinata


What Girls Like

Naruto must return a gift to Hinata for his Valentine's Day gift or suffer the consequences.

Main Characters: Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata

Setting: Sometime between Tsunade becoming Hokage and Sasuke defecting.

Note: I have only a passing familiarity with Naruto so if they are out of character, my bad. It's my girlfriend who watches the show.

What happened is that I lost a bet. Whoever lost the bet had to write a fic for the winner. We were having a contest on who could get the best time in one of the many Sonic games (I think). The time to beat was 5 minutes 30 seconds. I timed out, unable to reach the goal line in the alloted time. She barely made it. Her time was 5 minutes, 29 seconds and 86/100ths of a second. To give you an idea of how close that time was, you couldn't blink in 14/100ths of a second. And so, I take my punishment as a man.

Enjoy. This is the sequel to my fic: On Being Brave. This is meant as a stand alone fic. However, to get the full scope of the story, it is recommended to read On Being Brave. So this one is dedicated to those who reviewed my first story.

* * *

Naruto had just come back from his mission and he wasn't in a good mood.

Team seven were called on to guard a group of merchants along a dangerous path. It was a C rank mission. Kakashi wanted to see how well the group could handle a mission by themselves, plus he was called to perform an S rank mission by himself. Naruto had started the mission in high spirits but it started to go downhill from there.

By Kakashi's order, Sakura was leading this mission. The jounin reasoned that Sakura was the smartest of the three and could prioritize or something. The blond didn't care for the reason. Naruto took it as an affront to his pride. Although Sasuke didn't say anything, Naruto could tell that he was mad that he wasn't in charge either.

The mission itself was annoying for the fact that the clients didn't respect their prowess as ninjas. They constantly whined about wanting adults. The blond ninja particularly didn't this well.

The mission was completed with only one hitch. There was a rock slide halfway through the trip. However, the three ninjas, with their combined might, were able to stop it without any injury to the caravan. Yet, even with that, the merchants didn't thank them, arguing that a more experienced ninja would have prevented the rock slide from happening in the first place. It was amazing that the three young ninjas didn't beat up their clients on the spot, however, Naruto had to be restrained.

Now that the mission was completed, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura returned to Konoha in bad spirits. And this is where our story begins.

Naruto knew that only the delicious taste of Ichiraku's ramen would lift his spirits. As soon as he thought of the ramen, his mood changed completely. The blond ninja skipped merrily to the shop. For his beloved Ramen-chan, he would endure anything.

* * *

Hinata, coincidentally, had just finished a mission with Kiba and Shino. Their mission was to recover a stolen medallion. The three of them were perfect for this mission as they all had experience in tracking. The mission was completed in six hours and that included the travel time. As the three ninjas returned, Hinata had caught a glimpse of spiky yellow hair.

There weren't that many people in Konoha with yellow hair, even fewer with the spiky kind. So she knew that it was Naruto right off the bat. As soon as that realization hit, she blushed profusely.

"Hinata!" Kiba shouted at her to get her attention

The girl in question jumped. "Yes, Kiba-kun?" She squeaked.

"What's wrong with you?" Kiba spat in annoyance. "I swear you always get this way around Naruto."

Hinata blushed again. "How did you know it was Naruto-kun?"

"I can smell him from a mile away." Kiba guffawed, polishing his figurative apples.

"You didn't even need to do that." Shino muttered. "That is because anytime Hinata blushes, it is usually connected to Naruto somehow."

"Shino-kun!"

A thought came to Kiba's mind. "Say, Hinata. Did you ever give Naruto that chocolate last month for Valentine's Day?"

The events of last month came rushing back to the girl. The color on her face went beyond red. It was fuchsia. Kiba, looking at the girl, wondered if there was any blood flowing through her body or if it all collected on her face.

"Well, I did make the chocolate." She whispered.

"Huh." Kiba put a hand to his ear. "I can't hear you, Hinata."

"I made the chocolate." Hinata shouted a little too loudly as other people in the village looked at her. The Hyuga was flustered a bit but continued. "And I did give it to him." If possible, the girl blushed even more.

Kiba was surprised. "So wait, you two are going out now?"

The connotations of what Kiba said almost made Hinata pass out; however by force of will, she stayed lucid.

The boy from the Inuzaka clan took this as Naruto and Hinata were an item. "So you two are going out now? How come you didn't tell us? I'm hurt." He crooned in mock-hurt.

Hinata's eyes glimmered in amusement. "We aren't going out." She told her teammates with finality.

"So Naruto said no?" Shino asked, the slightest amount of tact not present in that question.

Just remembering this put a smile on Hinata's face and some confusion.

* * *

_Hinata took a deep breath. The box with the chocolate that she made was in her hands, clutched to her chest. Today, she was going to do it. For all of the Valentine's Days opportunities that she missed, she was going to do._

_She shoved the box in Naruto's field of vision, her head bowed. She couldn't bear to see the look on his face._

_"Is that for me?" He asked, although she didn't see his face, there was probably confusion._

_She nodded, not trusting herself to speak._

_"Awesome. And it isn't even my birthday yet." He answered._

_Hinata was slightly confused._

_Naruto took the box from her and opened it. "Chocolate. Can I eat it?" She remembered him asking._

_Hinata, still looking down, nodded her head._

_"Thank you." As he bit into the chocolate, Hinata spared a glance at Naruto's smiling face. He looked like he was enjoying the chocolate._

_"Wow, Hinata. This chocolate is awesome, believe it." Naruto said._

_"Well..." She stuttered. "Is it really that good?"_

_"Are you kidding? I've never had anything this good."_

_Hinata twiddled her thumbs. "I'm glad that you like it, Naruto-kun."_

_"But Hinata, why did you make chocolate for me?" Naruto stared at her so intensely. It was as if he was staring into her soul. That was a look that she couldn't bear and yet that same look was something she wanted to see again._

_"I... um... that is... well..." For all of the bravery that she had so far in just giving Naruto the chocolate, Hinata couldn't think of a single thing to say._

_And that's when Naruto threw her in for a figurative loop. "You didn't have to fight, Hinata."_

_When the blond ninja said this, she was confused. He said something about fighting and that she didn't have to fight._

_"You don't have to fight for my sake." Naruto told her. "I'm pretty strong, believe it. So you don't have to fight for me." _

_Naruto put a friendly hand on her shoulder and flashed her a winning smile. It made her want to melt away and spend the rest of her life as Hinata goo. But that didn't lessen her confusion in the slightest. "But if you find yourself in trouble, you can count on me to help you. I don't go back on my word. That's what being a ninja means to me, believe it."

* * *

_

"Are you serious? He said that." Kiba asked in disbelief.

Hinata nodded in embarrassment.

Kiba laughed tremendously. He laughed so hard that he was in pain and couldn't breathe. "That Naruto....haha....has to be the...haha... the densest ninja this side...hahahaha" Kiba couldn't complete his thought.

Shino, on the other hand, pinched his forehead. "That Naruto..." was all that he could say.

Hinata shied away from her teammates. She just wanted to be alone for a moment. She decided not to tell the two what Naruto said afterwards.

* * *

_As Hinata was about to walk away from Naruto after failing to attract Naruto's affection. Naruto called out to her._

_"Thanks for the chocolate, Hinata. It was very good." He smiled._

_Hinata blushed. "You're welcome." She stammered._

_Then Naruto averted his eyes from Hinata's. Hinata looked closely and saw that there was a faint blush on his cheeks. "You know, you are very nice. Plus you made some good chocolate." He turned towards Hinata. "A girl like you is the same type of girl that I like."

* * *

_

A blush stained Hinata's cheek. She wondered what Naruto was doing. She wondered if he was thinking about her, if only a little.

That was when she decided to do something bold. She would talk with Naruto. It was pretty courageous by her standards. Hopefully, she could get a couple of words in with him as well.

The kunoichi thought for a moment. "Where would Naruto be at this time?" Knowing Naruto as well as she knew herself, she understood that the first place that he would go after coming back from a mission would be Ichiraku's diner to enjoy ramen. The girl wondered, offhandedly, how one person could enjoy ramen so much.

Hinata tried to compose herself, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. She tried to think about what she was going to say. "How was your mission?" "Have you seen something interesting?" "How is your training progressing?" It was going to be simple things so she could have an excuse to bask in his presence.

She found that her feet had led her to Ichiraku's all on their own. To that, she was grateful. It was taking all of her willpower to stand there and not hide behind anything. The Hyuga took a deep breath. Today she was going to do it. She was going to talk with Naruto.

Going through the entrance, Hinata saw the ninja with whom she was infatuated plowing into his third bowl of ramen. He chowed down like there was no tomorrow. Looking at Naruto eat gave the girl a mixture of nervousness, awe, and a bit of disgust. However, she knew that this was just what made Naruto ... well Naruto. Hinata wouldn't change that for anything.

The coward in her was telling her to run away but she shakily took a seat next to the blond ninja. Everything that she did was purposeful so as not to disrupt this awe-inspiring and somewhat disturbing scene.

Naruto, after polishing off that bowl and going for his fourth one, noticed that there was a change in the atmosphere, as though there was someone staring at him. Sure enough, Hinata had taken a seat next to him and, from the looks of it, had been there for quite a while just staring at him.

"Sorry." He guffawed, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't notice you there."

Hinata started to sweat a little. She was getting nervous. "No. Don't worry about it." She stammered quickly.

Naruto squinted. Hinata was always a strange one to him. He could never discern what it was she was thinking. Sometimes, he would catch her looking at him so intently. It was almost as if her eyes were glued to him. He had also been noticing that she would blush whenever he looked at her. And this wasn't the "I'm so embarrassed that I got caught looking" blush. This was something different. Naruto couldn't put his finger on it though.

This had only intensified after she had given him the chocolate last month. It was like she was waiting for something to happen. Naruto didn't understand. Did she want something for it? He had already thanked her for the gift. So what was it?

And lately, he had noticed a change in himself as well. He found himself becoming more comfortable in her presence. At first, he had thought of her as a dark, gloomy girl. But now, he was starting to recognize her as a good friend. And yet, there was something else about her too that he couldn't grasp.

"Hello, Naruto." She said slowly, due to her nervousness.

"Hi Hinata." Naruto said just as slowly, wondering why she said it like that.

"Umm..." The girl found herself tongue-tied at the moment, lost in his cerulean gaze. "Mission." She recovered ungracefully. "How did your mission go?"

Naruto spat. "Well, you wouldn't believe the people we had to work for." As Naruto regaled her with the story, Hinata listening intently to every word. She didn't have to do or say anything. Her plan was working. She made sure to insert her own observations whenever he prompted her to do so.

Just being in Naruto's presence was enough for her. If only there was a way for this to last forever...

It was then that Hinata's squad leader, Kurenai, entered Ichiraku's shop. She noticed that Hinata was sitting next to Naruto. To the red-eyed woman, it seemed as though those two were a couple. That made her smile.

It was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that Hinata had a longstanding crush on Naruto. The Hyuga was bad at hiding her feelings. And yet, to Kurenai's utter amazement and the amazement of others, the object of her affection had no clue. There were people with thick skulls and then there was Naruto.

Kurenai cleared her throat, calling Hinata to attention. "I'm sorry to break this up but Hinata and I must report to the Hokage's office."

Hinata's Byakugan eyes were downcast. Finally, she had a moment alone with Naruto and now she had to go see the Hokage. The girl excused herself and went with her teacher. "Take care of yourself." She yelled out to him.

Naruto waved to the retreating figure. "That was strange." He commented.

"You are just as clueless as ever." A voice told him.

Naruto blinked and tried to find the origin of that voice. On his left was a familiar figure. It was Jiraiya, the Ero-sennin.

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto gasped.

Jiraiya smirked. He saw Naruto in Ichiraku devouring bowls of ramen and decided to sneak up on him. However, his plans changed when he saw the girl (Hinata, was it?) talk with Naruto. It was obvious to him that the girl had a crush on Naruto but the blond ninja, while talking to her appropriately, ignored the signs.

If the toad sennin remembered correctly, that was the same girl who gave chocolate to Naruto. Just remmebering that event was hilarious. Jiraiya, the day before Valentine's, had told the blond ninja that Valentine's Day was a fight between girls for the affections of guys. He believed it like the fool that he was. And so, when the young girl tried to give Naruto chocolate, Naruto believed that she had gotten into a fight for him. Because of this, he didn't answer the girl properly.

And that exchange went into Icha Icha Tactics.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

And then Jiraiya got another wicked idea. Today is March 12. White Day was in two days. Now how to convey this information to Naruto for his amusement...

"Well, I have to be here. White Day is coming." Jiraiya told him flippantly.

Naruto scrunched his face in confusion. "White Day?"

Jiraiya's face turned into one of grave seriousness. "You don't know?"

Naruto squinted. "What's White Day?"

"Oh no. Oh no no no." Jiraiya shook his head. "You are in trouble."

"What do you mean, 'in trouble'? I have never heard of White Day." Naruto shouted in dismay. He shook Jiraiya furiously.

Inwardly, the toad sennin smirked. This was too easy.

"Okay, I'll tell you only because I don't want anything to happen to you."

Naruto was getting nervous. What is going to happen to him? "Thank you, Ero-sennin."

"Well, before I can tell what is going to happen to you, I have to tell you the story behind it." Jiraiya told Naruto.

The blond ninja nodded rapidly.

"Well, the story is old as time. In fact, I'm surprised that you haven't heard of it. What are they teaching you in that school of yours?"

Naruto didn't care about that. He wanted to know what was going to happen to him. "So what? I want to know what's happening to me."

"Well, in days of old there was a goddess name Selene. She was perhaps the most beautiful goddess in the heavens. She had pure creamy skin and legs that go on forever and..."

Naruto was getting annoyed. Ero-sennin was getting too descriptive. "Get on with it."

Jiraiya continued. "Well, she had fallen in love with human named Jinx. She was so shy. And so, she decided to give the human chocolate which is where we get the tradition of girls giving chocolate to boys on Valentine's Day. The chocolate would make him immortal and so he became a god in his own right."

Naruto nodded in quasi-understanding. It made sense to him.

"The goddess loved Jinx and figured that if he liked her too, he would return the gift. Otherwise, why would he accept the chocolate? So the goddess waited... and waited... and waited. And on March 14, she couldn't wait any longer. Selene visited the human-turned-god and learned that he never really liked her in the first place. He just wanted the immortality."

Naruto snorted. What an idiot. How could he do that to a goddess?

"Well, that was when the goddess cursed him. The goddess couldn't remove his immortality but she did something else. Selene had Jinx tied to a rock and his heart would explode every day at noon. And afterwards, it would very painfully be restored by midnight to repeat the cycle every noon for the rest of time. And this is where we get the word jinxed. " Jiraiya told him.

Naruto shuddered. How cruel. "But what does this have to do with me?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya feigned annoyance. "Let me finish the story. So, the goddess swore off love forever and cursed all men. Should they receive a gift from a woman and do not return the favor by White Day, their hearts will explode right out of their chests."

Naruto squinted. "But I never received a gift from...." And that's when he remembered last month. Hinata had given him chocolate last month. "Hinata." The name rolled off his lips. He remembered that he had accepted chocolate from her. It was delicious, better than any other chocolate he had ever had before. And then he got scared. Did that mean that if he didn't return a gift, his heart would explode? "My heart's not going to explode?" He squeaked. "Isn't it?"

"Why do you think she told you to 'take care of yourself'?" Jiraiya told him.

"But Hinata would never explode my heart." Naruto affirmed. At least he thought so.

"She's not going to do the exploding. The goddess will."

Naruto was scared. "I don't want my heart to explode."

"Well, you have to return the gift." Jiraiya told him. "And it can't be something cheap. It has to be something she would like."

"Well, what should I get her?" Naruto fumbled. He had never given a gift to anyone before. What was he to do?

"I can't tell you that. I told you the story. If someone tells you the story of White Day, then they can't give you any ideas of what to give the person who gave you the gift."

Naruto trembled. "I can ask someone else though?"

"Sure." Jiraiya shruged his shoulders. "However, you can't ask what others are getting for White Day. It's taboo. You also can't name the person to whom you are giving a gift. But you have to return the gift by noon of White Day. Otherwise, your heart will explode."

Naruto paid for his ramen and ran out of the shop, afraid for his life.

Jiraiya left the shop as well, a huge smirk on his face.

"You are so horrible." A voice called out to him

"You shouldn't say that, Kakashi." Jiraiya smiled mischievously. "You are going to watch him and see what he does too.

Kakashi's nose was buried in one of the Icha Icha books. "It would be interesting."

Naruto looked for an open store at this hour. However, as it was getting dark, none of the shops were open. And yet, even if there was, he didn't have any idea what to give Hinata. He would have to ask around to see what would be an appropriate gift for her.

* * *

Kurenai was walking Hinata home after Team 8's meeting with the Hokage. They received their due pay from Tsunade. The boys had already left to their respective homes, leaving Kurenai and Hinata alone.

Kurenai mused on Hinata's transformation. Ever since the Chuunin Exams, it was like the girl had blossomed. Before, whenever the Hyuga was frustrated, she would give up, not allowing herself to grow. But that Naruto seems to be a good influence on her. She would have never got as far as she did without his help. Now it seems as though she is learning how to stand on her own two feet. Hinata still had a ways to go but one day....

"Is there something that you need from me, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.

Kurenai smirked. "I saw you getting cozy with Naruto." She told her.

Hinata blushed. She didn't know what to say to that.

"It's really easy to see why you like him." Kurenai remarked.

Hinata's eyes were downcast. "He just has all of the qualities that I don't have. To see how people treat him and how he strives to make everyone acknowledge him. He always has a smile on his face and, no matter what the odds are, he has such confidence in himself. I've always admired him for that. He's everything that I've always wanted in myself."

Kurenai took in what Hinata was telling her. Her affections for Naruto had passed simple infatuation and turned into love.

"Why haven't you told him about how you feel?" Kurenai asked.

"Well, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that he'll say no and things will be awkward between us. I don't want that."

Kurenai put a guiding hand on Hinata's shoulders. "The worst thing you can ever do is to not make a choice. Tomorrow isn't promised to you, Hinata. Ninjas such as ourselves are not given the luxury of time. You must take action for something that you want. And even if he were to say no, then at least you would know and you could move on from there."

Hinata looked at her teacher. Something about the look in her eyes told the girl that Kurenai had recently gone through the same thing that she was telling her. This was sound advice.

"And you should remember..." Kurenai continued "...that Naruto may not wait for you. He may find someone else to like and then you would only be left with what could have been. I don't want that to happen to you."

"You know, I did try to tell him once. It was on Valentine's Day. I made him chocolate."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. So Hinata did try to express her feelings. "And what happened?"

Hinata giggled a bit. Kurenai didn't expect that reaction.

"Well, he said something about fighting and that he was strong. He thought that the chocolate was an early birthday present."

The teacher grimaced. Hinata had surely chosen a dense guy with whom to fall in love.

"Well, White Day is in two days. Perhaps you will receive an answer then." Kurenai tried to encourage Hinata. "And should that fail, you should take matters into your own hands. Confession is good for the soul."

With that, Kurenai left Hinata alone in her thoughts.

Hinata realized that her teacher was right. The only way to make sure that she received an answer, she had to tell Naruto directly. That seems to be the best way to go.

* * *

Naruto woke up the next day in a sweat. He had a horrible dream that he was chained to a mountain. He saw the goddess flying above him and making his heart explode. The blond ninja didn't want that. He would dedicate this day before White Day to find the best gift for Hinata so as to appease the goddess.

There was a niggling thought in the back of his head that he also wanted Hinata to like the gift as well. But he didn't dwell on it that much.

Naruto thought of as many people who could help him pick out a gift but he was left with one question. What do girls like?

Naruto had to tread very carefully. He couldn't mention Hinata's name nor could he ask what other people are getting for White Day. He didn't want his heart to explode. But who to ask?

"Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed. Kiba was Hinata's teammate. Surely he had to know what she would like.

Naruto found Kiba walking with Akamaru. However, as soon as he called out to him and he turned around, Kiba exploded with laughter.

Kiba, having remembered what Hinata told him yesterday about Naruto and Valentine's Day, couldn't stop laughing. He could picture it now. Kiba couldn't believe how dense Naruto was that day. His only wish is that he could have seen it firsthand.

"Oi, Kiba. Stop laughing for a second and help me." Naruto was steamed. Kiba wasn't helping at all.

Tears started to form in Kiba's eyes. He was having a hard time breathing.

Naruto huffed. Kiba was no help at all. He decided to go to Shino next.

* * *

Naruto had found Shino in his garden. He was communicating with the bugs. Shino wouldn't laugh at him or rather, he couldn't.

"Oi, Shino." Naruto called out to him.

"Good morning, Naruto." Shino responded flatly.

So far, so good. Shino wasn't laughing at him. Now to ask him... "Shino, I need a favor."

Shino made an annoyed sound. "Why is it that you only call on me whenever you need something?"

Naruto was taken aback. "What?"

"You never come to me just to talk. We never hang out. It's always about you." Shino preached. "Is this how a friendship works? No, it is not. Friendships are about mutual understanding. Why is that? It's because if there wasn't any mutual understanding, there would be no friendship."

Naruto could already see that this was a waste. He needed to hurry. He only had one more day before his heart exploded.

Naruto's next stop was Rock Lee. However, the bushy-brow told him that the best gift was the two of them training together, something about the springtime of their youth. That was a bust.

Shikamaru was next but it was like pulling teeth with this guy. As it turned out, he didn't have any ideas either.

Naruto rightly avoided Chouji. Most likely, he would have suggested food or something of the sort. The blond ninja decided that Sasuke would be the best to ask about this.

* * *

Sasuke was training by his house. Naruto knew that he received many Valentine's gifts. If any guy knew what to give a girl, it would be Sasuke.

"Oi, Sasuke." Naruto shouted to him.

Sasuke huffed. He was trying to get stronger. Ever since that incident with Gaara, the Uchiha had found his training to be inadequate. He had to be stronger. If he was ever going to best his brother, he had to be stronger.

But now this total moron decides to interrupt his training, most likely for something stupid.

"What do you want, you total moron?" Sasuke demanded.

"I need your advice." Naruto responded.

Well, this was different. Naruto wasn't the kind of person who would ask for advice. He was the one who was always going off half-cocked. The fact that he decided to ask him was an amazement in and of itself. Sasuke decided to stop what he was doing and help this guy.

"What do you need?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I'm trying to find a gift for someone." Naruto began.

It figures. It would be something stupid like that. But, just to humor him and due to the fact that Naruto had come to ask him, Sasuke decided to respond. "Who is it for?"

Naruto's eyes were worried. Ero-sennin did tell him that he couldn't mention Hinata's name. "I can't say but you should know why."

_So it's for a girlfriend_, Sasuke thought. To be honest, the Uchiha didn't think that the total moron had it in him. It would somewhat interesting to know who it was... or rather who it was would could stand him for extended periods of time. But Sasuke had no time to find out. He was in the middle of training. Every missed moment was time he could be spending to grow stronger than Itachi.

"Just get her whatever. I don't care." Sasuke dismissed Nauto.

"But..."

Sasuke was getting annoyed. He wanted to resume his training but the total moron wasn't going to go away unless he took drastic action. "It's not like she would like anything that you gave her." He said in a dismissive tone.

This inflamed Naruto. "You bastard. I promise I'll find the best gift and show you that my gift will be better than anything you could ever give. It'll be the best White Day gift ever."

Naruto stomped away, leaving Sasuke alone again. There was only one thing on Sasuke's mind. _"What's White Day?"

* * *

_

Hinata had gotten up a little later than she usually did this morning. Kurenai's words were dancing in her head.

_Tomorrow isn't promised to you, Hinata. Ninjas such as ourselves are not given the luxury of time. You must take action for something that you want. ... You should take matters into your own hands._

Hinata decided to take action today. She would tell Naruto how she felt.

After completing her morning rituals, she greeted her father, who was in the process of training Neji. Smiling happily that the main family and the branch family were finally getting along, Hinata embarked on her day, trying to find Naruto.

* * *

It was 1 o'clock and Naruto was still no closer to finding a gift good enough for Hinata. Naruto started fearing for his heart. He didn't want it to explode. However no one was giving him an adequate answer. Then he came up with something.

"I just realized that I'm asking guys about what they would give." Naruto realized. "If I want to give a gift to a girl, I'll have to ask a girl what she would like."

Naruto's plan was simple. He would ask some of the girls of Konoha. They would know what would be the best gift to give to Hinata.

Naruto's first stop was Sakura. His beautiful teammate would help him. However, he didn't have a clue as to where she would be at this moment. So he decided to check her house.

She wasn't at her house but her mother told Naruto that she was probably at the flower bed on the side of the Hokage monument. Sakura's mother turned out to be right as the blond ninja had found her there.

"SAKURA-CHAN." Naruto shouted.

The pink-haired ninja turned around and saw Naruto. She was instantly annoyed. Sakura had come to this place to avoid Naruto and here he was.

"What do you want, Naruto?" Sakura grimaced.

"I need your advice." Naruto asked in all seriousness.

That surprised Sakura. Naruto wasn't the kind of person to ask for advice. Somewhat intrigued, Sakura decided to investigate.

"What do you need?" Sakura quietly asked.

"I need to pick out a gift for tomorrow." Naruto told her.

Of all the things that Naruto could have told her, a gift wasn't even on the list. Sakura was perplexed but only for a moment. Then, what could only be described as a huge creepy smile crossed her face. Naruto was taken aback.

"What?" Naruto asked slowly.

"So you need to get a gift for tomorrow. " Sakura started to piece it together.

"Yes." Naruto responded hesitantly.

"And tomorrow's White Day, right?" She asked

"Uh-huh." Naruto repeated.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Sakura cooed.

Naruto remembered Jiraiya's words. He couldn't tell Sakura. "I can't say." He didn't want his heart to explode.

Sakura smirked. So he is shy. The pink-haired girl was elated. With Naruto having a girlfriend now, she would never have to endure his constant attention. Now there was nothing stopping her from trying to obtain Sasuke's affections. To seal the deal, Sakura would help pick out a gift for Naruto's soon to be girlfriend.

"Alright, I'll help." Sakura told him.

Naruto inwardly jumped for joy. Here was the woman of his dreams helping him pick out a gift for Hinata. He thought for a moment about how strange it was that a girl was helping him pick out a gift for another girl. Naurto wondered how Hinata felt about that.

Naruto shook his head. That was a weird thought.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Hinata had tried looking for Naruto but was having no luck. Of all the qualities that made Naruto Naruto, unpredictability would be at the top of the list. However, it did make for telling him what she needed to get off her chest quite difficult.

Although she was averse to it, Hinata decided to use Byakugan. With her field of vision dramatically increased, Hinata looked for the familiar ninja. She saw his silhouette in the shopping district. That's where she headed.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura explored the shopping district. As they were looking for the perfect gift, Sakura surreptitiously tried to find out the identity of Naruto's girlfriend.

"Clothes are a good choice for gifts." Sakura told Naruto. "Do you know her measurements?"

"Well, she looks like this." Naruto drew out Hinata's general figure. Well, tried to anyways... His movements became rapid and incoherent, telling Sakura nothing.

"Okay." Sakura frowned. That didn't help. "How about jewelry?"

"Sakura-chan, I don't have that kind of money." The blond whined.

"Fine. How about flowers?" Sakura sighed.

"What kind of flowers do girls like?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it depends on the girl." Sakura told him. "Girls like flowers because it represents their beauty."

Sakura went on a tirade about how girls are like flowers, confusing and boring Naruto. "I don't get it." He finally exclaimed.

Sakura was getting annoyed. Naruto was being difficult. "Come on, Naruto. Haven't you ever given a girl a return gift for White Day?"

"This is the first time. I never got a gift for Valentine's Day before." The blond told her, his tone a bit hurt.

Sakura was quiet for a moment. She felt somewhat sorry she brought up that. Naruto had came to her in earnest, asking for his help and she wasn't doing a good job.

"Sorry. I'm not helping." Sakura relented and decided to redouble her efforts.

As the two were looking a gift for Naruto's White Day response, the two had run into Ino.

"What are you two doing?" Ino asked. "Are you two on a date?"

Sakura glared. "Why would I go out on a date with Naruto?"

Naruto was feeling glum. _I thought this was a date_, he thought.

"So what are you two doing together?" Ino asked, unaware of Naruto's inner thoughts.

"Well, I'm helping Naruto pick out a White Day's gift." Sakura told Ino.

A creepy grin crept across Ino's face, reminiscent of what Sakura had done earlier.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Ino asked.

Naruto was confused. Didn't they know that he couldn't say the name of who is receiving his gift for White Day? Don't they know the story?

"You know I can't say." Naruto affirmed.

"Come on." Ino cajoled.

But the boy was adamant on that point. He would not reveal the name of the recipient of his gift. He didn't want his heart to explode.

Shopping with Sakura and Ino was a chore. Whatever idea one girl like, the other one disliked. Worse of all, the two girls bickered about who was going to receive a gift from Sasuke on White Day. Naruto was trapped, trying to find a way out. Thankfully, with the two of them arguing, neither realized, or possibly cared, that the young boy had already left them.

* * *

Naruto was in trouble. The sun was starting to set and Naruto still hadn't found a gift for Hinata. He clutched his chest and started to sweat. Pacing around, he was trying to figure out what to get her when he ran into the person in question.

"Hinata." Naruto yelped, his voice higher than he intended.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata yelped in the same voice.

Hinata wasn't expecting to run into Naruto this quickly. She was flustered. But moreover, he was acting strange. He was clutching his chest and sweating as if just being here was scaring him.

Naruto was worried. Ero-sennin didn't tell him anything about what he should do should he run into Hinata before White Day. He had not picked out a gift yet. He didn't even have a clue. Bus most of all, he thought that his heart was going to explode just by the simple fact of being around her.

"Umm... I just remembered. I have to do something. I'll see you tomorrow." Naruto rambled and ran away.

Hinata tried calling out to him but to no avail. He was already gone. She sighed heavily. She had worked up all of her courage just to tell him how she felt and then he ran away. This was not good for her self-esteem.

Then she recalled that Naruto had said that he would see her tomorrow. Did it mean what she thought it meant?

Hinata couldn't think now. She needed to collect herself.

* * *

Naruto ran to a secluded forested area in Konoha, not knowing what he made Hinata felt by running away from her. He didn't have a gift idea and he was running out of time.

Naruto glanced at his surroundings. Since when was there a forest in the Konoha shopping district? He realized that he was in a genjutsu. The blond drew his kunai and prepared himself for combat when the strangest thing happen.

"What's the matter?" A tree asked Naruto.

Having no experience with dispelling genjutsu, Naruto did the only thing that he could do. He rubbed his eyes.

"I must be going insane. I am pretty sure that that tree just talked to me." Naruto mused aloud.

"What? You think that only humans can talk?" The tree responded indignantly. "How dare you."

"Okay okay." Naruto exclaimed, a bit disturbed that he was arguing with a tree. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Humans! They think that they are the best thing to hit the earth since the dawn of time."

"I said I was sorry."

The tree made a disinterested noise. "Fine. What's your problem?"

Naruto couldn't believe that he was going to talk about his personal problems with a tree. And yet, having exhausted every other person he knew in Konoha, what did he have to lose. "Well, I am trying to find a gift for someone."

"It's for a girl, right?" The tree asked.

"Yes, only I can't say the name because my heart will explode." Naruto told the tree.

"You humans and your weird bodies." The tree told him.

Naruto was inflamed. How dare this tree talk down to him. "Don't make me cut you down."

"Fine. Then I won't help you with a gift idea." The tree responded.

"I'm sorry." Naruto tried to flatter the tree. "You are the biggest, strongest tree that I ever met."

"Don't flatter me. It doesn't work."

Naruto relented. "But really, I could use your help."

"Guy, don't you know that the best gifts are handmade." The tree dismissed. "Try making the gift yourself and she'll like it."

Suddenly, the genjutsu was dispelled. Naruto found himself in the shopping district again. He noticed that there was a hand on his shoulder. The blond ninja looked and saw his teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto called out to him.

"You seemed to be caught in a genjutsu." The white-haired jonin explained flippantly

"Do you know who did it?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook his head.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Although he didn't like the fact that he was caught in an illusion, it did give him an idea.

"I'll see you later, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto ran off.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what he saw."

"You cast it on him." A voice called from Kakashi's shadow. It started to take the shape of Jiraiya. "Shouldn't you know what he saw?"

"I just cast a general one. Who knows what he saw?"

Jiraiya frowned. "That's too bad. I would have love to know what the kid is thinking." Then the toad sennin laughed. "His day has been interesting, don't you agree?"

"This is going exactly as you planned." Kakashi told him glibly. "And I am assuming that this is going in the new Icha Icha series."

"Well, I may have to jazz it up a bit but it'll be a great hit." Jiraiya sniffed. "But the coup de grace is coming tomorrow. We should continue following him."

Naruto, with this new revelation, went to an arts and crafts store. Within twenty minutes, he had a box kit with the items he needed to make the perfect gift to appease Hinata and, by extension, the goddess.

* * *

Hinata was depressed. She didn't get to tell Naruto how she felt. Moreover, he was acting strange. It was almost like he had somewhere else to be. It didn't make her feel good. It was almost like being rejected without the actual rejection. Somewhere inside of her, the Hyuga wondered if all of this was a waste of time. Then she remembered what her teacher told her.

_Tomorrow isn't promised to you. You must take action for something that you want._

Kurenai-sensei was right. She had to do it. Hinata had to tell Naruto what he meant to her. Otherwise, it would eat her up inside.

* * *

Naruto worked throughout the night on his gift. Loud swearing could be heard coming from his apartment. Having no experience making a gift like this showed because he kept changing the design every twenty minutes or so. It had to be perfect. His life was on the line. His hands hurt. His arms were sore but he didn't complain.

Hinata woke up the next morning. It was March 14th, White Day. Today is the day that boys were suppose to return the gifts that they received on Valentine's Day from girls. Hinata didn't know if Naruto was going to return the gift. However, that didn't matter to her. Today, there would be no diversion from the plan. Without fail, Hinata would absolutely tell Naruto how she felt about him.

Naruto, on the other hand, got a late start on the day. He had finished Hinata's gift at around 6 in the morning. It wasn't perfect but he was too tired to try again. His fingers were bandaged because of all the cuts that he suffered making Hinata's gift. His arms were stiff and his eyes had slight bags under them. He woke up and looked at his clock. It read 10:59. With a startled jump, Naruto quickly got dressed. He only had one hour to find Hinata and give her the return gift. Otherwise...

The blond ninja didn't have time to panic. He had to find Hinata and quick.

* * *

The first place that he went was to the Hyuga estate. It would be the logical place to start. He was there in five minutes. The blond ninja knocked on the door of the outer gate. A tall Hyuga male answered the door.

"I'm looking for Hinata." Naruto told him breathlessly.

The Hyuga looked at him with disdain, which somewhat irritated Naruto. He hated that look. It was the look that people gave him when they saw him as the Nine-tailed fox instead of a regular person. "What business have you with Hinata-sama?" He boomed

"I need to give her something." Naruto told him, his voice conveying the urgency that he hoped got through to him.

"Hinata-sama has no need of something from you." The Hyuga spat.

Before things could get ugly, Naruto was saved. Neji, who was returning from a training session with Tenten, returned back to the estate. "Naruto!" Neji called out to him. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto turned around when someone called his name. "Neji! I'm saved."

Neji was confused. Naruto looked disheveled and was holding a brown paper back, taking a box shape. He wondered what he was doing here.

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked.

"I'm looking for Hinata but this jerk won't let me see her." Naruto's words came out hurried. He was running out of time. His heart was beating fast. He didn't want his heart to explode.

Neji instantly deduced that what Naruto had a White Day gift in his hand. So Hinata-sama had given the chocolate to him last month. Neji decided not to get in their way.

"You." He called out to the Hyuga gateman. "Where has Hinata-sama gone?"

The Hyuga gateman blanched. He knew that Neji was favored by Hiashi-sama. His status in the Hyuga hierarchy had been established ever since the Chunin Exams. He didn't want to get on the bad side of either Hyuga. "Hinata-sama went to go training in the forest south of here." The Hyuga sweated.

Naruto thanked Neji and ran towards that forest. It would be cutting it close.

"Naruto, if you hurt Hinata-sama..." was all Neji got to say before Naruto was out of sight. It was strange. The way that Naruto ran and handled himself, it was as if seeing Hinata was a matter of life and death.

Naruto ran for his life. He needed to find Hinata. There could be no room for error. He hoped that luck was on his side.

* * *

Hinata was meditating near a waterfall south of her house. She decided to train for a while before talking to Naruto. She had no idea that her day was going to turn out nothing like she imagined.

Hinata heard what could be described as labored breathing coming her way. Coming up from meditative stance, she saw an orange jacket running in her direction. _It couldn't be_, she thought.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was Naruto. He had something in his hand and was hurrying as if his life depended on it. He made one final leap but couldn't stick the landing, sliding his way towards the Hyuga lass. Hinata was stunned by the whole scene. Not in a million years did she think that Naruto would be in front of her with a gift in his hand, the two of them in a secluded spot. The whole predicament caused the girl to blush.

Her Byakugan eyes were set on what Naruto had in his outstretched and bandaged hands. It was a nondescript brown paper bag, taking the shape of a box.

"This is for you, Hinata, for White Day." Naruto breathed heavily. He hoped to make it on time. "What time is it?"

Hinata was confused by the question and startled by the gift. She looked at her watch. "It's almost noon."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He made it. He got there in time. "Thank goodness." He closed his eyes.

Hinata was shocked as the weight of what Naruto told her. "This is for me?"

Naruto grunted in affirmation, a bit hurt from the fall.

Hinata took the bag from Naruto's hand reverently. She removed the box from the bag. It was a small and nondescript white box. The Hyuga opened the box slowly, not knowing what to expect. She took out what was inside.

It was a handmade orange bear, as far as she could see. It wasn't the best bear ever made. The ears were too big, the nose was too long, and it looked like it had been taken apart and put back together again several times. Even with this, it was adorable. The bear was dressed in the same clothes as Naruto. It looked exactly like him from the yellow hair to the adorable little sandals. It even had a cute little stuffed kunai at its waist. However, its best quality was that it was made by the boy that was first in her heart. That was all she needed to like the bear.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata said breathlessly. "Is this for me?" She didn't trust herself to speak.

"Yeah. Do you like it? I made it myself." He asked tiredly.

"It's lovely." Hinata was awestruck by the bear.

Naruto sighed in relief. He was saved. His heart wasn't going to explode. Unconsciously, he cuddled closer so that his head was being cradled on Hinata's lap, causing the girl to blush.

Hinata fought the blush. She decided to tell him how she felt right now.

"Naruto-kun, I have something to tell you." She whispered. She felt herself wanting to chicken out but Hinata refused to allow that to happen.

Naruto grunted softly, closing his eyes as he snuggled closer to the warm body next to him.

"Naruto-kun, there was always something I wanted to say to you for a long time." She started. "I was never the cutest girl or the bravest. Anytime I tried something, I always thought that I was going to fail. And when I did, I wanted to quit being a ninja. In fact, I probably would have if it hadn't been for you. You were my guide. You never gave up, even when the odds were against you. You kept trying your hardest. That rubbed off on me. I wanted to be a splendid ninja so that you would recognize me as well. Your smile was my salvation. Your attitude changed me. I guess what I am trying to say is..." Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes "I really like you."

Hinata blushed profusely. She said it. She finally said it. She was finally free from that burden. Now it was on Naruto to respond.

Hinata closed her eyes and clenched them shut. She had no idea how Naruto was going to respond. But, after a few minutes, she opened her eyes. She looked down at Naruto, who was still cradled in her lap. She hesitantly, and very nervously, brushed some stray hairs from his face and found something disconcerting.

Naruto had fallen asleep.

Hinata came to the conclusion that Naruto had stayed up all night trying to make her gift and tired himself out trying to give it to her. She sighed. _Another missed confession_, she murmured in her head. Then she smiled. There was always next time. But she was proud of herself. She had finally said the words that had been her heart for the longest time.

* * *

From the treetops, Kakashi and Jiraiya watched the exchange. Kakashi couldn't believe that Naruto had fallen asleep during Hinata's confession while Jiraiya had to bite his hand to stop from laughing.

"I can't believe that Naruto fell asleep during that." Kakashi remarked.

"You can't say that it wasn't funny." Jiraiya commented flippantly, making sure to write down the exchange in his personal notes to use later.

"Jiraiya-sama, you are an awful person, making Naruto believe that his heart will explode if he did not return Hinata's gift." Kakashi told him, a bit of levity crept in his voice.

"You liked it too. Otherwise, you wouldn't have helped me." The toad sennin told him with a smirk on his face.

Kakashi couldn't argue with that.

The two elder ninjas decided to leave Hinata and Naruto alone and went their separate ways.

* * *

Hinata smiled and placed a reverent hand on Naruto's shoulder. Then, in an act of boldness, she leaned down and kissed Naruto on the cheek, blushing as she did so. She had no idea what compelled her to do so but it felt right. She didn't regret it at all.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open a bit and he regarded his surroundings sleepily. He noticed that he was cuddled up next to Hinata. She didn't push him away or anything. He was about return to sleep when the blond ninja felt a slight pressure on his cheek. He was stunned. Hinata had kissed him. So he wasn't dreaming those words that he thought he heard her say. Later on, he would respond to that but for right now, it was better to enjoy the moment.

Naruto smiled and went back to sleep in Hinata's lap. His heart felt like it was going to explode.... but for a different reason.

* * *

The end.... or is it?

Well, this story is finished. Tell me what you think. I would really like to know. Review please, for my sake. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like. It would really make me happy.

Is there going to be a part three? Well, that depends. It depends on whether or not people liked this and also whether or not I lose another bet. Either way...

* * *

And that's the way it was ................ Armageddon Angel


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